1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to methods for producing consumable products from potatoes.
2. Description of the Related Art
Potato foods are consumed worldwide where fried potato products are particularly favored, especially French fries and potato chips. However, consumer concerns regarding fat intake have resulted in baked potato products.
Methods for making fried potato products directly from potatoes involve some combination of the following basic steps: (1) peeling, (2) slicing, (3) washing, (4) frying in edible oils, and (5) seasoning. Similar methods for producing baked potato products are used except the frying step is replaced with a baking step.
For example, the preparation of French fries generally comprises peeling, cutting, blanching, and frying. Other treatment steps are often included such as preheating, sugar-coating, drying, partial frying, or freezing. The preheating step is proposed to activate endogenous pectin methyl esterase to strengthen cell walls, leading to smoother cutting. The sugar-coating step enhances the golden colour-forming Maillard reaction during frying. Moreover, manufacturers often add different, proprietary steps of a physical-chemical nature to achieve various desirable qualities of the final products.
French fries, served by fast food restaurants and food services, are commonly purchased in bulk from commercial suppliers in the form of partially fried (par-fried) potato strips which are stored frozen until ready for consumption. The par-fried potato strips are prepared for consumption by, for example, frying in fat or oil.
The properties of potato foods such as French fries and potato chips differ, for example, depending on the degree of crispiness and colour desired. For instance, crispiness and a golden colour are often desirable for French fries, whereas a pale-yellow colour is mere suitable for potato chips. Various processing methods have been developed for optimizing these properties.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,058,631 discloses the pretreatment of raw, starchy food products with an aqueous solution of alpha-amylase to reduce the absorption of fats and oils during frying.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,503,127 discloses a hot oil pre-treatment method for activating pectin methylesterase endogenous to starch-containing vegetables in order to lower the fat content of the final potato product.
GB 1,278,736 discloses the use of alpha-amylase to reduce the viscosity of a potato-water mixture.
It is an object of the present invention to provide improved methods for producing consumable products from potatoes.